Tuesday night is (now) a notoriously bad night on the telly in our house, but a good night for catching up with the back catalogue on our PVR. Sometimes it takes me an awful long time to get round to watching something that I’d always intended to review, and in the case of Housewife, 49 it’s taken an unforgivably long time. I recorded it the first time around and then sold that PVR with it still on the hard disk. I recorded it when it was repeated earlier this year, after winning a handful of BAFTAs and finally watched it tonight. What struck me most of all about the whole thing, quite apart from the excellent writing (by Victoria Wood, and which won it the Best Single Drama BAFTA), was how good David Threlfall was in it. Which led to the realisation that he’s been outstanding in just about everything I’ve seen him in.

In Housewife, 49, Threlfall plays “Daddy” – Will Last – the repressed control freak of a husband who shows no compassion or emotion during the Last’s entire marriage and from whom Nella, the eponymous housewife, eventually manages to break free and discover a world of fulfillment and friendship. So immersed is Threlfall in this role that it takes several minutes to recognise him. Only the distinctive voice gives him away. The emotion he can convey simply by sliding his eyes to one side is remarkable. His stiff, unbending body language, his monotonic vocal tics, his use of props (spectacles, newspaper, bedclothes) are all impeccable. Perfect. It’s a work of pure genius.

Contrast this with his infamous portrayal of Frank Gallagher in Shameless. More than any other single character on the small screen over the last thirty years, his embodiment of the slovenly ne’er-do-well chancer has left me breathless with laughter. Literally choking and begging the humour to stop. The writing for Shameless has reached amazing heights on occasion and has had equal lows, but however patchy the scripts, when Threlfall dons the greasy wig and the dirty jacket he quite simply is Frank. Once again he is nuance-perfect in his intonation, body language and use of props (in this case, the ubiquitous fag, pint, or betting slip).

I could choose a dozen examples but the final one I’ve selected is his portrayal of the eponymous Rat Man – Ian Garland – in Episode 2 of what proved to be the final series of Afterlife. Once again he was so deep into the character that the actor was almost lost – almost unrecognisable. The extreme psychotic behaviour of the Rat Man was beyond chilling. It was the stuff of nightmares. And David Threlfall lived it. His every move telegraphed his murderous thoughts and intent. From the very first look you knew there was something inhuman there. Brilliant. There are very few actors that I would pay to see perform live. For Threlfall, not only would I pay, I’d travel too. And his name on a cast list is enough to make me want to watch. Even if it does take me six months to get around to it.